Mara Abbott

D.O.B.: 11/14/1985
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Current City: Boulder, CO
Height: 5’5”
Twitter handle: cosunshinemka
Specialty: climbing, stage races
College: Whitman College, Economics

BIO:
Mara Abbott was born in the mountains of Colorado on November 14, 1985 to a family of outdoorsy, adventuring intellectuals. She fell in love with athletics at a young age, competing as a distance swimmer in Boulder. She carried her passion to compete on with her at Whitman College. While at Whitman, she tried racing with the cycling team and instantly discovered that her hard work in the pool was easily translating to talent on the bicycle. Mara’s most notable accomplishments include twice being the US National Road Champion, in 2007 and 2010, as well as winning the general classification and two stages of the 2010 Giro Donne. Mara lives and trains in her birthplace of Boulder, Colorado where she still delights in the peerless mountains, is a yoga instructor, coaches the same swim team she was raised in, and is preparing to pursue a graduate degree in environmental economics.

If you weren’t bike racing, you would be...?
Climbing high peaks, racing along trails and studying for a degree in environmental economics

Favorite meal when training?
Kale Salad
Muffins
Apples

Favorite meal when you can eat whatever you want?
Kale Salad
Muffins
Apples
Rocky Ford Cantelope

What made you want to become a bike racer?
A drive for competition and excellence that I developed early in life. A desire to create something beautiful out of athletics and the opportunity to create that vision on a bicycle. A love for progress, achievement and an ever faster ability to climb mountains

Who is an inspiration to you in your life, both on and off the bike?
My current and past coaches, Dean Golich and Grant Holicky. My family and my genius older brother. People who pursue their passion to be the best in the world, in whatever the field. Anyone who wakes up before dawn to adventure in the sunrise.

The best thing about being a bike racer is?
Going up hills over and over again and sometimes faster than other people.

Favorite place you’ve raced your bike and why?
Livigno and Stelvio stages of the Giro 2010 - not only my greatest successes in my career, but also, the most beautiful peaks, next to the ones in my home, that I have ever seen in my life. It was an experience of reaching clear and beautiful nature in high altitude after racing eight days through cities and hot plains.

Favorite cross training or off season activity?
Trail Running, swimming, ADVENTURING, mountaineering, backpacking, cross-country skiing, yoga.

Favorite things to do off the bike:
1. Play in the mountains
2. Work in pursuit of environmental sustainability
3. Talk about Colorado
4. Find fun things to do that are free

Top 10 warmup/pre-race songs on your iPod:
1. A beautiful day- India Arie
2. Unwritten- Natasha Bedingfield
3. Let it Rock- Kevin Rudolf
4. Tik Tok- Kesha
5. All of the Lights- Kanye West
6. Hilary Duff- come clean
7. I’ll make a man out of you- Mulan Soundtrack
8. Poker Face- Lady Gaga
9. Still Standing- Elton John
10. Rocky Mountain High- John Denver

Interesting Facts:

My number one athletic goal is to do something impressive enough to get to throw out the first pitch at a game of my beloved Colorado Rockies

I know all the words to MC Hammer’s “You Can’t Touch This”

I bike commute or bus every here I go and used one tank of gas in my car last year. As a result it rarely starts on command.

I am a double Outward Bound Alumna

I am one of five members on the City of Boulder’s Environmental Advisory Board.